05 September 2006

"Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties" grossed 46.4 million yuan (5.8 million US dollars) in its first three weeks in China, breaking the Chinese box office record for an animated film held by the Lion King for 12 years, the Beijing News reported Wednesday.

The animation directed by Tim Hill debuted in cinemas on Aug. 11, taking in 13.92 million yuan (1.74 million US dollars) in the first weekend, six million yuan (750,000 US dollars) more than "Ice Age 2", another Fox animation distributed in China in March.

The Garfield craze continued in the second week, generating 20 million yuan (2.5 million US dollars) in ticket sales, although the third week saw its takings halved.

Before Garfield, The Lion King, made by Disney, held the record of 41 million yuan (5.12 million US dollars) for 12 years. However, another Disney animation with high box office expectations, "Cars", opened last weekend, taking merely 10.8 million yuan (1.35 million US dollars). Some cinema managers say Cars opened at the wrong time, when most school kids were busy finishing their summer vacation homework.

I printed the entire report, because A, it's just so incredible, and B, it's not like the Chinese are known for their respect of copyright, so sauce, goose, gander.

Really though, a nation that embraces the 2nd Garfield film so whole heartedly must not be ready for consideration as a major global player.